Recently we reported about the ladies from the New York Liberty and the Seattle Storm walking off the court and returning to their locker rooms as the National Anthem played during their season opener.
Many people have praised the ladies for their efforts of using their platform to place focus on the issues that matter within this country, as well as bringing more attention to Breonna Taylor’s case as many continue to fight and make sure justice is served.
Kiah Stokes, a center for the New York Liberty, stepped into The Shade Room and she talked with us about the defining moment the ladies decided to step off the court, dedicating their season to Breonna Taylor and more.
When asked why the made the decision to leave the court, instead of kneeling, Kiah said to us, “We wanted to do something other than kneeling, because it can just be seen as just a performative act and we wanted to take it a step further by actually leaving the court before the anthem was played. Especially for the season opener of the 2020 WNBA season, we thought we could make a statement. We know this is bigger than basketball, and that’s why we dedicated our whole season to Breonna Taylor.”
Kiah continued to speak with us about whether or not they faced backlash for their actions, the importance of using their platform to bring attention to social justice issues, and much more.
Check out what she had to say below:
As we previously reported, many sports teams across different leagues have been using their platforms to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and stand in solidarity and demand that justice is served.
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TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94
